Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-07-01
TAKING IN AN lSTHMUS GAMBLER.
A Man from the Bowery Tries His Hand
at Roulette in Panama.

A Man from the Bowery Tries His Hand
at Roulette in Panama.
Ever since the beginning of the canal
work on the Isthnnus hundreds of gam
blers and thieves have been flocking to
this city from all parts Of the world.
There is no end of money here in the
hands of the canal contractors and en-
ployes, and every kind of gambling is
carried on by the sharpers to relieve them
of it. The lottery Mere, whose drawing is
every Sunday, has made one of the pro
prietors, an old Panama railroad man,
rich. He is getting his money together
and is going back to the United States to
live. An old New York gambler, who
used to frequent the st. James hotel bar
room great deal, says he is playing the
chance Of dying of the ChagreS fever
against 100000. If he lives only six
months, he says, he will be back in New
York with the Doodle. He adds that when
man is over 80 he can afford to take this
kind of chance. He came here to die or
make his play, and he is getting in his
work with rapidity. He looks like a
winner.
There is always something new coming
Off, for many of the gamblers, especially
those from London and New York, are
very city" The other day the steamer
from New York brought down a "Sure
thing man." who, for some time past, has
been working the passengers on the Eng
Hsh steamer lines. Too much BOwery
dissipation had got him On the sick list
and he was on his way to San Francisco
for his health. He was here just two
hours. One Of them he spent in looking
at tie old town and feeding the pelicans
and gulls in the bay with biscuits soaked
in cognac. He then lounged into the big
gambling hell on the Plaza and watched
the Frenchmen's reckless play at roulette.
The game was in full blast and the layout
covered with piles of gold. Every one was
drinking champagne, and for confusion
and riot the red letter days of Homburg
were not a marker to it. The careworn
Bowery man edged up to the table and
with a trembling hand rolled up a United
States bank bill to about the size of q
walnut and threw it on the red. The
wheel was started on its nOiSeless circuit,
and the little ivory ball ratified around in
the opposite direction until it finally set
tied in the black. The Bowery man
picked the bill up and carelessly tossed it
to the dealer, who unfolded it and saw it
was $50 bill.
The dealer smiled slightly, while the
Bowery man fumbled in his pocket for
more money. He drew another bill from
his inside pocket, crumpled into a ball
like the other one and dropped it on the
red. The ivory ball went hopping around
again, and this time it stopped in red
pocket. The Bowery man did not move
this time, and when the dealer unfolded
the bill to see how much he had to pay he
found that it was one of the s., 900 denom-
ination. He looked aghast, but there was
nothing for it but to pay and look pleas
ant. He counted the money out, which
the BOwery man pocketed as he took his
leave. Fifteen minutes later the lucky
New Yorker was on the tug going to the
steamer out in the bay. He told fellow
passenger how he had beaten the Panama
dealer The first bill he laid down was
also 81 900 bill, but when he saw he had
lost he picked it up and tossed $50 bill
which he had concealed in his hand to the
dealer and slipped the 81, 900 one up his
sleeve. He said it took q, little practice to
do this trick, but it was about as easy
way to make $3.50 as he knew of, and he
was on good terms with himself for the
next twenty-four hours.-Panama Cor.
New York Sun.